Not just an Iluzjon for Eclipse in Warsaw

May 2013

The Iluzjon cinema in Warsaw, Poland, has been home to the Polish National Film Archive since the mid-50s, and is also Warsaw’s main art-house cinema. The venue, which had remained in its original state until just two years ago, has recently undergone a massive renovation. At the heart of the audio system, which was designed by audio consultant and system designer, Wojciech Zielinski from pro audio specialists, Dysten, is an Innovason Eclipse GT running a fully networked Fohhn Audio PA system.

One of the peculiarities, and indeed part of the charm of Iluzjon, is that, thanks to its National Film Archive heritage, it often screens silent movies accompanied by live music. The sound system therefore, unlike a typical cinema system, also had to be able to cater for live music as well as playback. It was these slightly unusual requirements that led Zielinski to specify an Innovason Eclipse digital mixing system combined with Fohhn Audio PA equipment in order to give the sound engineer maximum flexibility, freedom and ease of use.

The console workstation has been designed as a mobile unit so that it can be located either in a traditional FoH position in the main auditorium or in a separate control room. Dysten built a custom lightweight, height-adjustable metal stand for the console which greatly facilitates transport. The Eclipse retains full control of the network and audio distribution to both the cinema and the projection room from either location.

The heart of the audio installation is the Server Room located in the basement which houses the 42U rack containing the Diocore stagebox for the Eclipse, the active splitters for the Sennheiser IEM transmitters and wireless receivers, fibre, network, ES/MADI converters, Fohhn Net LAN interface and Fohhn DSP power amps. All the connections needed for FoH world are located in a wall box in the control room and a floor box in the main auditorium for complete flexibility and mobility of the FoH unit.

According to Zielinski, nothing has been overlooked. “We have thought of and anticipated every detail,” he observed. “In spite of the renovation, we still had numerous constraints to deal with, so every element of the system had to be carefully thought out for maximum efficiency. There was no room for the superfluous in this installation. The result is a great-sounding system that offers maximum flexibility to the user, enabling the venue to adapt the system quickly and easily to the different requirements of each screening. I am very proud of this system!”